Family Comes First
by luvtheheaven
Summary: NOT purely a Stefan/Damon fic but rather a fic where every chapter might be about a different TVD family relationship. It's going to be a cast fic with as many characters as possible - more with each new chapter. More details in chapter 1's author's note!
1. Stefan Sees His Mother In a New Way

_I'm warning you all now, I went author's note crazy this time... that will definitely not always happen. Shorter author's notes for sure in the future. This is like over 1,000 words of author's note, which is insane, but I really wanted to explain myself lmao!___

_**Author's Note about the entire fic:**_ _Thank you so much, WondaGal! She beta-ed this first chapter for me! She also beta-ed my last TVD fic, which was "Damon Delivers the Bad News", a 2,579 word one-shot (including the author's note and everything). I'm hoping that WondaGal will be able to beta every chapter of this fic for me as I write it. At least for a while. ;)_

_Yes that's right, my first multi-chapter fic about this fandom! It's about the TV show purely, I haven't read the books and don't care about their canon by the way. The only canon that matters is the TV series as far as this fic is concerned. I've only completed 1 multi-chapter fic before, my Gilmore Girls one called "Just For You", and I've written quite a few oneshots before. I also am working on a Glee multi-chapter fic and another Gilmore Girls multi-chapter fic and I do hope to finish both of those by the end of 2012 lol... that's my new goal at least. As soon as possible for sure. Maybe it'll be sooner than that. This one, however – I don't know if I ever plan to end it. _

_Because this is going to be more like a series of one-shots than a true multi-chapter fic. It's going to be a cast fic – I am categorizing it as Stefan & Damon because they are the first two characters mentioned in the fic and they are probably the "main" family relationship of the show and I'm guessing the most popular set of characters in terms of family relationships in TVD fanfiction. However this first chapter is a Stefan/his mother oneshot I'm making up. And the second chapter will probably be based on Jeremy/Elena. I plan to do ones about Matt/Vicki, Bonnie/her dad, Caroline/her parents, maybe Rebekah/someone in her family, etc and just see where this fic leads me. Characters and relationships certainly are likely to repeat and I plan to just update this whenever I'm inspired to write a new TVD family-related oneshot. I really hope people like what I do with it._

_The chapters will not be related in any way and some might be better than others. Some might be very, very strongly based on canon and others might be much more products of my own imagination... but all of them should be consistent with the show as of the time when I'm writing it at least. I'll try to always name the chapters with the most important family relationship there so you can easily skip to only the ones about relationships you think sound interesting if you'd like to not read every chapter. If you do read every chapter though, that'd mean the world to me! And please, don't forget to review if you read a chapter! Even a simple "Good chapter" is better than nothing because I like knowing that I have readers! ;) And the more details in your reviews, the better of course. I appreciate constructive criticism and compliments alike! ;)_

_Also, ideas for new chapters are always welcome! :D_

_Thank you, and enjoy this fic of mine! I've had this idea to write a fic about family stuff on TVD – mainly filling in the blanks type things or providing backstory - for a while. As many of you know already, I'm a vidder – I'm luvtheheaven5 currently on YouTube – and recently I re-watched all of the moments related to Damon & Katherine in order to make a vid about them. It was seeing all those scenes again including a lot of stuff about Damon & Stefan's relationship with each other and with their father that finally inspired me to get this started. _

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><p><em><strong>Author's Note about just chapter 1:<strong>__ So I wrote this whole chapter on the airplane on my way home from college for winter break. I wrote it by hand and got busy (mainly with vidding stuff lol but also with my family and shopping and stuff) so it took me a few days before I was able to type it up._

_Before writing it, I looked up a writer's guide to names from the 1800s and apparently Bessy and Julia were both popular names for girls. ;) I also looked up what they wrote with around the 1860's and found "By 1850 quill pen usage was fading and the quality of the steel nibs had been improved by tipping them with hard alloys of Iridium, Rhodium and Osmium." And apparently paper was made from recycled cloth until around the 1850's when finally wood paper emerged so that's also interesting considering the time period. ;) My research for this fic has taught me quite a few new things about history lmao!_

_I asked around because I've never read the TVD books and someone told me that in the books it's mentioned that Stefan & Damon's mother has died a few years after Stefan's birth, but for the sake of my fic, I'm gonna pretend she was alive until after Damon & Stefan both turned. In my head canon, the reason that she's never mentioned in the show or shown or anything is because women/mothers were not considered too important in sons' lives in the 1800's. Please just go with it. Thank you. I also made up a name for her because I can. And keep in mind, in case something canon changes in the future in the show about Stefan or his mother, this chapter was written at the end of December 2011, so the last episode that aired as far as canon as of the time of this fic was 3x09 "Homecoming". I will also mention that (which episode most recently aired as of the time of my writing each chapter) in the author's note for every chapter if I can remember._

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><p><span>Stefan Sees His Mother In a New Way<span>

Stefan was almost done writing a letter to his older brother, who at that moment was off defending the confederacy. Stefan worried greatly about Damon. In fact, just that morning Stefan had overheard his father conversing with a man who lived on the other side of town, who had lost his son in a recent battle. Stefan couldn't imagine finding out that Damon would never be coming home.

He dipped his nib pen in the ink one last time, getting ready to sign his name at the bottom of the paper when suddenly he heard some frantic knocking at the door.

The Salvatores' home was quite large, but the knocking was loud enough to echo through the house to Stefan's bedroom. He had no clue why the person on the other side was knocking so many times – most people knock three or so times and then wait for an answer patiently. This was the most impatient visitor ever, Stefan realized. He hurried toward the door.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" he yelled through it as he finally approached it. He grasped the knob quickly and opened the door hastily to find himself eye to eye with a very sweaty, _very _pregnant young woman. On a second glance he recognized her as an acquaintance from town; she was Damon's age and a daughter in one of the other founding families. She smiled at him meekly, looking a bit embarrassed.

"Hey... Bessy, right?" Stefan finally said. She nodded. "Can I, um... help you?" She nodded again.

"Someone told me your mother was a midwife?" she asked.

"Oh, yes she learned how to be a midwife a couple of months ago when the town doctor decided to go off and fight in the war," Stefan explained.

"Thank goodness," the girl replied, speaking more to herself than to Stefan. But then she regained strong eye contact with him and asked, "May I please come in? And would you mind leading me to her?" The young woman was trying so hard to be polite while pleading desperately for Stefan's help.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Stefan apologized, gesturing for her to come in and bowing his head toward the ground. "Please, follow me," he said as he started to walk towards the room where Mrs. Salvatore was sure to be sewing considering the hour of the day. He walked a bit too quickly for the girl, however, who struggled to keep up before letting out a stifled, high-pitched yelp which caused Stefan to turn back toward her. She held onto the wall for support with one hand, her other holding tightly to where her baby clearly was. She appeared to be in a great deal of pain and had her eyes squinted shut. Stefan had never seen anyone like this before, and he was unsure of what to do.

"Are you alright?" he asked nervously as he backtracked toward her and extended his hands awkwardly and relatively aimlessly, wishing he could help her somehow. She was breathing hard but after a few more seconds managed to open her eyes and respond.

"I think I am in labor," she whispered, and Stefan could practically feel the terror in her voice. He instinctively tried to reassure her.

"Do not worry," Stefan said gently. "I'll find my mother." He wanted to touch her shoulder to comfort her for a moment, but he had never touched a girl like that before, and he was afraid it would be too intimate and therefore inappropriate to do to a girl he barely knew – especially given her vulnerable state at the moment. Instead, he turned away from her quickly and started running toward the sewing room.

Seeing her son in the room's doorway, Julia Salvatore put down her needle and thread. "Stefan?" she said in surprise.

"Mother," Stefan responded as calmly as he could despite his internal panic, "there's a girl in labor in the hallway. She came here because you're trained in midwifery."

Julia's eyes widened in shock. She shook her head for a moment, then stood up and started muttering to herself, "People are supposed to let _me_ come to _them_ in their houses." Stefan followed her as she left to go find the girl.

Julia Salvatore expertly helped the girl to one of the _many_ spare bedrooms while directing her to breathe. She requested that Stefan give them some privacy, so Stefan left the room. He returned to his desk and the letter he'd been writing for Damon and finally added his signature to the end. He couldn't help but hear poor Bessy scream for a while, and he wondered who her husband was. He tried to stay out of the way as his mother warmed up a bowl of water and brought some clean rags and a few other various items to the room. Eventually he heard the sound of a baby crying. Unable to contain his curiosity, Stefan went back over to the bedroom and tapped lightly on the door.

"Would you welcome a visitor?" Stefan asked, hoping to be permitted entry. He was greeted by his mother opening the door. Her sleeves were rolled up and her hands had been wiped off with a rag but still didn't look completely clean. She looked like she had done something so foreign to Stefan when she delivered that baby just a few minutes prior, something much more intense than Stefan ever had realized before that day.

"Sure, my son," she answered sweetly. "Did you want to see Bessy's beautiful daughter?" Stefan didn't have to respond, for his gaze toward the young woman cradling a tiny infant in her arms spoke volumes more than a simple 'yes' ever would have.

"A girl?" Stefan replied in wonder.

"Yes," Bessy replied, looking up toward Stefan for a moment. "She's gorgeous," she crooned, staring back down at the precious new life in her arms. Stefan slowly approached them - overly cautiously. Stefan seemed to be afraid that the mother and child were both too fragile for him to even risk taking a good look at them.

Julia smiled in amusement at her son's demeanor. "You will not break their bond if you get closer, please relax." Stefan looked back toward his mother, embarrassed. She turned to the girl in the bed. "Bessy, dear, you wouldn't mind if Stefan took a peak at the miracle of life you have there in your arms, would you? I don't think there's been a baby that small on this property since Stefan himself was born," she commented.

Bessy moved her head away a bit so that Stefan could get a better view. As he looked at the young woman and at the tiny girl in her arms, he thought about what his mother had just said. His mother had once gone through everything that Bessy just did, and had been in the same position as Bessy, holding a newborn baby in her arms. He'd never thought of his mother as having once been a perhaps frightened young woman like Bessy, and then skipping ahead to the present time, Stefan thought about the way she was able to help Bessy and successfully deliver her baby. Stefan had never appreciated his mother more.

There was a lot more to her than he'd ever given her credit for, and Stefan hoped one day to marry a woman as strong as her to bear his children. He took one last look at the baby, then looked back at Bessy.

"She's amazing," he told her. He thought for another second, smiled at Bessy, then turned back towards the woman who had given him life. "You all are."

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><p><em>Thanks for reading the first chapter! I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave me a review and let me know what you think! Feel free to not say much in your review, or to be honest and criticize, or anything you want. :D I just love reviews! And by the way, I'm not sure what's wrong with me. All three of my ongoing fics right now are about pregnancy lol, well at least this chapter of this one. I honestly think there I a strong chance that I may choose to never get pregnant myself – I'd probably prefer to foster and eventually adopt an older child (maybe just slightly older, just not a baby anymore so less likely to be chosen); someone who really needs a parent. If I can help in some way I'd be happy to do that lol. I hope to fall in love, get married, and then consider my husband's views on the issue though so we'll see what happens. :P I just realize it's kinda weird that my fics recently have all been about pregnancy. But this one was inspired because I was looking up 1800's names and in the process I saw this thing about how during the Civil War many women became midwives because all of the doctors were busy fighting, and that just inspired me, I thought it'd be so cool to make Stefan's &amp; Damon's mother a midwife. :D<em>


	2. Jeremy&family Matt&Vicki After the Crash

_**Author's Note:**Thank you so much to the three of you who reviewed the first chapter already. I hope you enjoy the second chapter too. Let me know what you think. I can definitely take the constructive criticism if you feel you need to criticize anything at all. I know this chapter isn't my finest work but I tried to make it as good as I could considering what I wanted to be writing about here. ;) I tried to make it realistic. _

_For the sake of my fic, Elena is at the end of her sophomore year of high school (10th grade) and is 15 – she'll turn 16 near the end of the summer. Jeremy is 1 year younger and is near the end of his freshman year (9th grade) and is about 1 year exactly younger, so 14, and he'll turn 15 maybe after the school year already starts. XD Matt is approximately the same age as Elena – probably already 16 though but in the same grade as her. And Vicki is one year older, so she's 17 and near the end of her junior year. This is irrelevant for this chapter probably but might be applicable later on and it's what makes sense I'm pretty sure based on what I could gather from the show and from the people I talked to about everyone's ages. XD_

_Also, fanfictionDOTnet's chapter titles have to be too short, and they're not allowed to include dashes, slashes, quotation marks, or parentheses (ERR!) so I'm making it "Jeremy&family Matt&Vicki After the Crash" for the sake of the site. I wanted to include all the significant family relationships that will appear in this in the chapter title, in case anyone chooses to skip around, especially in the future when I have a lot more chapters. And **Jeremy/his father (Grayson Gilbert), Jeremy/his mother (Miranda Gilbert), Matt/Vicki, and Jeremy/Elena are all family relationships that appear in this approximately 3,200 word oneshot.** (Not counting the author's note.) It's a long one. XD The slightly better chapter title for the sake of the story though is below. _

_The last episode that aired as of the time of me writing this was 3x09 "Homecoming". So that's as far as l I considered for continuity/backstory purposes._

_Thanks again to WondaGal for beta-ing this chapter! :D Please however tell me if she & I both missed something and I'll fix it. ;)_

_If you have any questions, let me know. Otherwise, please enjoy! And don't forget to review. ;)_

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><p><span>Matt and Vicki Accompany Jeremy to the Hospital<span>

Jeremy was sitting on the couch, alone in the house that Saturday night playing a video game when the phone rang. He paused the game and answered it, never in a million years expecting what he was about to hear. It was someone telling him that his sister and parents were in a bad car accident and he needed to get down to the hospital immediately. He told them he would, then hung up, sort of in a daze, completely in shock, and unable to really register or comprehend what he'd just heard.

After a minute or so, he was able to at least partially start thinking again and he realized he needed to get to the hospital, but the car that Elena and his parents had been in was the only family car and besides he didn't have his full license yet, only a learner's permit. He needed to call someone and find someone to take him to the hospital. He tried to think of who was close by and who could drive already, and since there were no close relatives living in Mystic Falls, he immediately thought about Elena's friend Bonnie... or her boyfriend Matt. Matt's phone number was easier to remember and so without really thinking too hard he dialed the Donovan household.

"Hello?" Vicki answered, after looking at the caller ID. She figured it'd probably be Elena calling to talk to her boyfriend.

"Hi... um..." Jeremy trailed off, unsure of how to phrase his request, afraid to say what had happened aloud over the phone because that would make it more real and he'd actually have to think about it. "Can you or Matt... or both of you... just drive over here please?" Jeremy asked very quietly. "I need a ride."

"Jeremy?" Vicki asked, unsure. She was actually sober for once, she noted to herself mentally, so she knew that he hadn't introduced himself which was odd. Vicki didn't really know Elena's little brother at all; because of Matt, she'd had a few real interactions with Elena, but Jeremy she'd barely talked to once or twice before.

"Yeah, sorry," Jeremy answered. "I'm Jeremy, sorry please, just, I really need a ride." He was speaking without too much emotion but very quietly, and Vicki could tell something was wrong. She wasn't sure what though.

"Sure, I'll go get Matt and we'll come right over," Vicki answered, glad that her little brother was home since he knew Jeremy better than she did.

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><p>Jeremy sat back down on the couch and realized that his video game was still paused, but he couldn't will himself to actually go through the trouble of turning off the television and console. He just sat there, numb, waiting for Matt and Vicki to get there. He had no plan for what to tell them once they got there. He just waited there, trying not to think too much, staring way too intently at the flashing pattern on the pause screen. He couldn't help but start to think a bit. The man on the phone had sounded so somber, and Jeremy couldn't shake the feeling that they were probably all dead. He couldn't really imagine what that would mean though, if he really lost his entire family like that in just one car crash. He found himself confused and torn, feeling very grateful and lucky to have not been in the car with the rest of them, but also wishing he <em>had<em> been there in the car. Maybe he could have prevented the crash. Maybe he could have done something to help them after the crash. If they were dead, all dead... Jeremy couldn't help but think, if only for a brief moment, that maybe it'd be better if he was dead along with them. He didn't think he could handle the grief of losing all three of them... he couldn't imagine continuing to live a long happy life without them.

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door, and so Jeremy got up and answered it.

"Hey, there," Matt said, looking concerned. "What's going on? Where do you need a ride to?" Jeremy stared at him for a second, and Matt could see the terror in his eyes. Jeremy seemed frozen, unable to answer. Vicki was still waiting in the car in the passenger's seat. "It's okay, man," Matt said gently, despite starting to get a bit scared himself. "You don't have to tell me any details, just tell me where to drive."

Jeremy nodded, beyond appreciative of how helpful Matt was being. "The hospital," he answered after a moment.

Matt's eyes widened; he was very worried now. He hoped Elena was okay, but with the way Jeremy was acting, he didn't dare ask. "Okay," Matt responded, gesturing that Jeremy could follow him out to the car. Jeremy got in the back seat behind Vicki while Matt resumed his driver's seat position. Matt started the engine. Vicki looked from her brother to Jeremy, confused and trying to read their faces. Both looked _so_ serious and somber and she'd never seen either boy acting quite like this before.

"Matty," she started quietly. "Did someone... die?" She practically whispered the last word. Matt kept his eyes on the road while he slowly shrugged his shoulders.

"I really don't know," he answered carefully. Vicki turned back to Jeremy to try to read his face, but Jeremy was staring out the side window. Vicki thought he seemed lost in thought – and he was.

Jeremy thought about his last moment with his family members. He'd said goodbye to all three of them as they'd left the house that evening, just a simple goodbye like so many other goodbyes. They had been leaving to go to some Founder's Day thing, Jeremy wasn't even sure what it was... just a planning meeting for something that Elena and their parents all were interested in but that Jeremy couldn't care less about. That had been the only reason Elena was with them and Jeremy wasn't. It all seemed so irrelevant now.

He kept thinking back to his last real, significant moment with each of them. He tried to remember what it had been for him and his dad. Grayson Gilbert was a doctor in a small town and so if someone was sick and wanted a check-up he even worked on Saturdays, such as he did early that morning. He had come home around 10:00 am and took off his spring jacket and sat down at the breakfast table, joining Jeremy. Elena and Miranda had still been upstairs, and so it was just the men of the house eating a late morning meal. Grayson had asked his son how school was going, and Jeremy had shrugged off the question. He'd then continued to question Jeremy, this time asking him if he had any crushes on any girls, which embarrassed poor Jeremy so very much. Jeremy swallowed his gulp of orange juice, then looked curiously at his dad and asked him a question instead in order to avoid answering.

"Who did you like in high school?" he asked somewhat jokingly. "Was there anyone significant you had a crush on before Mom?" Jeremy was genuinely interested to know, if his dad felt like answering. Grayson smiled and then thought about it for a moment.

"Well there was this one girl, Laura, who was really pretty – not as pretty as your mother though, of course," he clarified, causing Jeremy to laugh a bit and shake his head. "And she was my lab partner in Chemistry class. Unfortunately she had a boyfriend already. Donnie." Jeremy realized that his father said Donnie's name with what almost sounded like lingering resentment for the guy, even so many years later.

"What happened? Did she ever break up with him?" Jeremy had asked, curious to know how the story played out.

"Hmm," Grayson had replied. "You know, I don't remember. I think I must have just moved on eventually and stopped paying attention to who she was or wasn't dating. But I just remember having a crush on her in ninth or tenth grade, because I think she was my first real crush. So the feelings for me at the time were significant." He smiled fondly at his son. "Maybe you haven't felt quite that way about anyone yet. That's okay. You will," he said confidently and lovingly. "It'll be special when it does happen." Jeremy rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, Dad," he had replied. Thinking back on it now from the back of Matt's car, Jeremy realized it had been a very nice father/son moment, and he should have appreciated it a bit more at the time maybe. He wanted to tell his father how much he loved him. He hoped when he got to the hospital that his dad would be okay.

He continued thinking and thought back to his last real moment with his mother. She had been in her bedroom and had seen Jeremy leaving his to go downstairs when she'd called out and stopped him.

"Hey, Jeremy!" Miranda had yelled pleasantly Jeremy had been listening to his iPod but his mother had been loud enough that he couldn't really pretend not to have heard her without instead resigning to get yet _another_ lecture on how bad it was to hurt his ears with the volume of his music. So he pulled out one of his earbuds and hesitated.

"What is it, Mom?" he asked, trying not to sound too annoyed at being stopped in his tracks.

"Sweetheart, can you please come in here a second?"

"Yeah, sure," Jeremy replied, heading over to her. She handed him her bracelet.

"Could you please help me get this on?" she'd requested simply.

He took the two ends in his hands and with ease successfully helped his mother secure the piece of jewelry around her wrist. He'd had quite a bit of years of practice with the action between his sister and his mother always asking for help. They never were quite coordinated enough to do one-handed bracelet clasping.

"Thank you," she said, smiling at him. She kind of wished her son would join them tonight but she knew he didn't want to, so she didn't push the issue. She watched him just walk away, putting his earbud back in his ear and heading downstairs.

Jeremy stared at the trees that appeared to be disappearing behind him as Matt kept driving and remembered the moment. He realized that it too was pleasant enough; it was simple and not much to think about, very everyday and boring but sweet in a way. He hoped his mother would be okay too and he would be able to have many more nice little moments like that with her in the future.

He tried to think about his last moment with Elena but before he had a chance to remember what it was, the steady stream of trees changed – they were turning into the hospital parking lot.  
>Jeremy looked back ahead out the windshield while Matt parked the car, and then all three of them exited the car. Jeremy led the way, following the signs with the arrows that were pointing toward the emergency room entrance. He walked up to the desk and Vicki and Matt stayed back, trying to be polite. They couldn't hear Jeremy over the sound of the busy waiting area when he asked which rooms contained his family members, but they saw him nod as the receptionist told him the room numbers. Jeremy turned back toward Matt and Vicki.<p>

"You can follow me," he said simply, and then he went to the first trauma room, where his father was supposed to be. The Donovan siblings hung back as he looked through the doors and saw them using the electric paddles on his dad's heart, trying to get it to beat again. Jeremy sharply drew an intake of breath, horrified that his dad was doing so poorly. He closed his eyes, unable to really watch, and instead headed next door to where the receptionist had told him his mother would be.

His mom was just lying there. No one was working on her. No one was in the room. She looked... dead. This time Jeremy couldn't stop staring in complete shock. After what seemed like an eternity to Matt and Vicki, neither of whom were looking at any clocks, they finally headed over to join Jeremy as see what he saw. Matt's eyes widened and got a bit teary almost immediately when he saw Miranda Gilbert lying there like that. But he realized Jeremy needed him to not cry, and so he didn't. Silently taking a breath as he made the effort to keep his composure, he gently stepped in front of Jeremy in order to break his line of sight. Matt cautiously placed his hand on the boy's shoulder. He wasn't sure what to say to him. There were no words really. Not for this.

Out of Jeremy's peripheral vision he saw a doctor emerge from the room where they'd been working on his father. Jeremy blinked hard and took a moment to prepare himself, then walked determinedly over to the man.

"You were working on my father, Grayson Gilbert?" he asked, his voice only shaking a bit. The doctor looked at Jeremy sympathetically then bowed his head toward the ground.

"I'm really sorry about your parents," he told Jeremy. "We did everything we could do. Grayson was a friend and at one time a coworker of mine. I sincerely wished I could save him and his wife." Vicki and Matt had heard the horrible news despite being a few extra feet away. The doctor continued speaking. "You should go in and talk to your sister. She miraculously got out of the drowning car soon enough, and she is injured but she'll be fine. She's right over here," the doctor finished, gesturing toward a third new room. Vicki looked at Matt, very happy for his sake that his girlfriend was alive and was going to be okay. She saw the immense relief on his face and she smiled at him. He looked back on his sister and smiled back.

Jeremy headed toward the room and saw Elena. She had a cast on her leg and some cuts and bruises various places. She had a blank expression on her face, and it seemed clear that she'd already been told the news about her parents not making it. She didn't notice Jeremy walk in.

"Elena?" he said, trying to get her attention. She quickly turned toward him and smiled hugely, so grateful to see his face.

"Jer!" she said with a ton of emotion, her voice breaking a bit. He rushed over to her and embraced her tightly, hoping he wasn't hurting her. She hugged back equally hard and for a moment, everything was okay. They had each other, all was not lost. They felt more love for each other than they'd ever felt before during that hug, but eventually it had to end. As Jeremy slowly let go, they made eye contact and just slowly mutually realized just how much their lives had changed forever. Suddenly, Elena burst into tears, and grabbed at Jeremy shirt, begging him wordlessly to come back into an embrace again. He started to silently cry too as he hugged his sister who was sobbing hysterically. They were like that for a long while, just crying and holding each other.

Meanwhile, in the waiting room, Vicki and Matt were unsure of what to do. Their father was nonexistent in their lives and their mother as of lately had been almost as bad. They couldn't really relate to the level of love Jeremy and Elena had for both of their parents, but Matt loved Elena and his sister Vicki both so much and couldn't fathom ever losing either. He'd never lost anyone he loved like that before and he feared the day when he might have to. Vicki nudged him lightly.

"Matty, if you want to go talk to Elena, I'm sure she'd love to see you." She knew he was worried about her still, despite having overheard the doctor say she was going to be fine. He was worried for his girlfriend both mentally and physically, and Vicki hated seeing her brother worry so much. Matt nodded.

"Okay, I guess I'll head over there. Thanks, Vic," he added. He got up and went over to Elena's room. He stopped in the doorway when he saw the profuse tears streaming down her face as she hugged her brother tightly. He considered just escaping unnoticed, not wanting to interrupt the comforting, but by the time he'd thought that much, Elena had already noticed him. She pulled away from her brother and used her hand to wipe off her cheeks as much as possible.

"Matt," she said simply. He wasn't sure what to say. He just went over to them, awkwardly smiling meekly at Jeremy for a moment before turning to her. "Are you okay?" he asked, but the moment the words were out of his mouth he felt profoundly stupid. Of course she wasn't okay. Her parents had just died. Her puffy eyes were more than enough to show him just how not okay she was. "I'm sorry, I mean, I know... I meant," he stammered, trying to fix his mistake. She smiled understandingly.

"I know what you meant," she offered kindly. She glanced at Jeremy, trying to make it clear that she was telling this information to both of them, then continued, "I bruised my ribs a bit but the only thing broken is my leg. It's a simply fracture that should heal quickly, they said." She wanted to reassure the two boys who cared so deeply about her. Matt just stood there, nodding, while Jeremy's expression as he sat there on her bed was harder to read. "Really, guys, I'm fine," she insisted, hoping adding more conviction to her voice would convince them.

"I'm really glad," Jeremy replied sincerely and seriously, looking at her meaningfully. He couldn't imagine losing her too in addition to his parents. She understood just how much he meant it and went to hug him again. It did hurt her chest a tiny bit to keep hugging her brother like this, but every time it was worth the tiny bit of mere physical pain. This time the hug was more for Jeremy's benefit rather than hers.

"Don't worry, you're not going to ever lose me," she whispered. Matt watched them and felt for them so strongly. He wished he could do something more to help. None of them knew what was next in store for the Gilbert siblings – who would be their guardian, if they'd be able to stay in Mystic Falls even. But for that moment, at least they had each other.


	3. Caroline's Parents Fight

_**Author's Note:**Thank you so much to the three of you who reviewed both chapters. I know you all from YouTube and I wish I'd pick up a solely fanfictionDOTnet TVD fan-base maybe at some point lol but for now you three are making me happy. I hope you and any newcomers to my fic enjoy this third chapter too. Let me know what you think. Like I mentioned before, I can definitely take the constructive criticism if you feel you need to criticize anything at all. _

_Caroline's my favorite so this chapter was especially fun to write. ;) Getting inside a younger Caroline's head is a bit hard though; I tried my best._

_**Caroline has a conversation with Bonnie & Elena this chapter, Bonnie's dad and Elena's mom are both mentioned briefly, but really this fic is about Liz, Bill, and Caroline Forbes and their family relationship.**_

_For the sake of this chapter, Caroline/Bonnie/Elena are all approximately 11 years old and it's end of 2003/beginning of 2004-ish, that keeps in line with the timeline of the show give or take because in 2009/2010 they were all 17... and that lasted 2 whole seasons instead of 1 so time kinda gets screwed up but whatever. Go with it please._

_I'm pretty sure it was never mentioned when exactly Caroline's parents got divorced but she tells Matt in 1x17 "Let the Right One In" that going to her dad's boyfriend's daughter's birthday party is a tradition so it couldn't have been all that recent as of the starting of the show. That's why I'm making it all happen in 2003 or 2004-ish. The last episode that aired as of the time of me writing this was 3x12 "The Ties That Bind". I'd started writing it after 3x11 but then realized Bill would be in 3x12 so waited a bit then finished it. It didn't really matter though, it didn't effect my writing of the chapter. And btw yay for more Bonnie storyline, now if I write a Bonnie chapter I actually will have something to go on. So anyway. 3x12. That's as far as I considered for continuity/backstory purposes._

_Thanks again to WondaGal for beta-ing this chapter! :D Please however tell me if she & I both missed something and I'll fix it. ;)_

_If you have any questions, let me know. Otherwise, please enjoy! And don't forget to review. ;)_

* * *

><p><span>Caroline's Parents Fight<span>

"Is that the new Evanescence CD I got you today?" Caroline asked after noticing some music faintly in the background of the current telephone call she was on. She pressed her ear closer to the receiver in order to listen harder. "It is!"

"Yeah," Bonnie admitted with a slight giggle. She'd just turned eleven years old earlier that day and had enjoyed a wonderful birthday party. "I just really love my gift!"

"And I just really love _your_ gift!" Elena added from a third phone. "Please remember to thank your dad for us! This three-way-calling thing is so cool!"

They all were wearing pajamas and lying in their beds, trying to talk quietly because even though it was a Saturday night, they were still young and all had bedtimes. They didn't want their parents to know they were awake.

"Elena," Bonnie said, starting a new topic of conversation, "that board game you got me, I opened it up already and read the rules. It looks so cool. We'll all have to play it the next time you both come over for sure!" Bonnie sounded so excited.

"Yeah that sounds great, I'm so glad you like what I picked out for you! My mom helped," she confessed. "Caroline, are you free tomorrow, because I was planning on going over to Bonnie's anyway but we need at least three people to play..."

Elena and Bonnie waited for Caroline's response but didn't get one. Caroline was distracted. Her parents were being quite loud and fighting, probably forgetting to keep their voices down for their daughter who was supposed to be sleeping.

"I never meant for you to find out this way!"

"Seriously, Bill? How did you mean for me to find out, me catching you in the act?"

"No, of course not, I was gonna tell you, I swear, I just-"

"Caroline? Caroline"? Bonnie and Elena's voices echoed over top of each other's, wondering what had happened to their friend.

"You just what? Come on, I mean finding out your husband cheated on you is supposed to be the worst feeling in the world, but _this_? I don't think I can handle this!"

"Liz, sweetheart, please just let me explain!"

"_Don't _you dare call me 'sweetheart'! And explain? You want to fucking _explain_? Come on, you should have told me this the day we _met_!"

Caroline gasped. She had never heard her mother swear like that before. She knew her mom was tough, she was the town sheriff and carried a gun and stuff. But this was shocking.

"Caroline, what is it?" Elena asked.

"Yeah," Bonnie pressed too, also wondering why Caroline had just gasped so audibly.

"Oh, sorry guys," Caroline mumbled. "My parents are fighting," she whispered. "I got distracted."

"Why did you gasp like that?" Bonnie asked.

"My mom used the f-word," she practically breathed into the phone.

"Wow," Elena replied. "That's intense. I'm glad I've never heard my parents fighting with words like that."

Caroline heard more yelling going on a few rooms over and desperately wanted to get back to eavesdropping. She was also a little worried about what more she might hear. But she could _not_ contain her curiosity. "Hey, can I call you back tomorrow?" she asked her friends. Elena and Bonnie read her thoughts.

"Of course," Bonnie answered her.

"Yeah, we'll be around," Elena said. And then Caroline hung up her phone, slipped on her slippers, and tiptoed over from her bed to her closed bedroom door. She pressed her ear up against the crack in order to hear better.

"Liz, of course I love you, I've always loved you, it's more complicated than that!" Bill seemed to be protesting in an exasperated tone.

"What about our _daughter_, Bill?" Caroline tensed up. "Did you ever think about _her _when you were off with him?"

Caroline was lost. She wasn't sure who this "him" was. And how did she play into this? What had been that thing about cheating that her mom had yelled earlier? She tried to put the pieces together. Could her dad really be cheating on her mom? But if he was, who was the mysterious _guy_ in the equation? If it was her dad who was cheating, it'd be with a woman, not a man. She realized she'd missed a few more sentences of their heated "conversation" and quickly re-focused on her parents.

"Elizabeth, I swear, I never meant to hurt you. This is just who I am." He'd said that last part so quietly that Caroline really had to strain to hear it. He said something else, but Caroline couldn't hear it. It was spoken too softly. So she slowly, carefully, opened her door and tiptoed a bit further so as to hear the rest of the conversation, now that the yelling had died down.

"I'm sorry too," Liz replied, and it seemed like her voice was breaking, like perhaps she was near tears. Caroline realized that her mom didn't sound apologetic. She sounded very... hurt. Suddenly Caroline heard the sound of a door closing and she just stood there frozen right outside of her bedroom, listening as she heard a car engine start in her driveway. She heard her mom's sigh and so she realized it must have been her father who left. Caroline then tried to quietly rush back into her room before being caught awake, but when she shut the door it made a loud creak. She squinted her eyes shut and crossed her fingers, wishing that her mom didn't hear it. She waited to see if she did.

"Caroline?" her mother called out. _Oh man, _Caroline thought. Obviously her mother had heard it. Still, she ignored her mother and crawled back into her bed. She listened to her mother's footsteps as they approached her bedroom door and Caroline didn't bother to pretend to be sleeping. Her eyes met her mother's as Liz opened the door and entered her daughter's room.

"Sweetie." Liz looked over her daughter carefully and saw that the small girl looked a bit scared.

"Mommy?" Caroline stared back up at her mother, pleading wordlessly for answers to all of her questions. What had they been fighting about? Why did Daddy leave just now? Was this the beginning of something much worse?

"What did you hear?" Liz asked cautiously. She gently sat down on the edge of Caroline's bed and then slowly reached her hand over to stroke her daughter's beautiful blond hair. It was a bit disheveled at the moment but so silky soft to the touch.

"I heard some of it," Caroline said. "I'm confused though. Please Mommy, just tell me. I'm a big girl, I can handle it," she insisted. "Tell me what you were fighting about."

Liz swallowed and shut her eyes, nodding. When she opened them again to look at her daughter, she still hesitated, but eventually worked up enough strength to be her mother and tell her daughter the facts that she was desperate to hear. For the next few minutes, she was Mommy, not Liz. She would tap into the ability she had to stay detached while on her job doing some difficult things as sheriff. She took a deep breath and mentally prepared how exactly she would word her first statement.

"Okay so you know how men and women fall in love?" Caroline nodded. "Well sometimes, people are gay, which means a woman can love a woman, or... a man can love a man." She said the last part a little quicker, trying to get it over with. Why she had to set herself up to use the word "love" like that was beyond her, and Liz berated herself for a moment internally. Caroline was sitting there patiently, waiting for her mom to finish explaining. "In the world, a lot of times people are taught that all men are only supposed to love women. So sometimes, even the men who love other men feel like they have to... pretend to love a woman instead." Liz regretted her word choice again. Pretend? That wasn't quite right. But it would have to do. She had to finish getting the story across to her daughter. "Sweetie, your dad is gay." Liz looked down at Caroline who seemed very confused. She was trying to comprehend, but it was so much for her little mind to take in, especially so late at night. "Caroline, do you understand what I'm saying?"

"No," Caroline admitted. "But that doesn't matter. Please just tell me. Why were you fighting?" She begged her mom to_ really_ answer her question, not just avoid it. She was tempted to sit up and face her mother, but lying there was so comfortable so she remained under the covers.

"I... I only found out that your dad was gay tonight," Liz told her, tears starting to form in her eyes. She tried to keep her voice steady and blinked to try to get rid of the tears. "I was just upset. I... I wish he'd told me years ago, that's all," she told her daughter.

Caroline looked up at her mom and knew that there was more to the story, but she also could sense that she shouldn't ask for any more. She thought about what she'd overheard, and she pieced a bit more of the story together on her own. Her mom didn't need to know how much she knew. So Caroline pretended to be satisfied with that answer, at least for now.

"Okay," Caroline replied, unsure of what else to say at that moment. She wanted to talk to her dad, she hated that he just left the house without saying goodbye to her. "When will Daddy be back?" she asked quietly, and Liz's heart broke to hear the fear in her daughter's voice.

"I'm sure he'll be back tomorrow," Liz answered her with confidence, although truly she had no clue where he went, nor when he planned to return. "Your father loves you very much. Don't _ever_ doubt that. Okay, Sweetie? We both love you with all of our hearts."

"Okay, Mom. I love you too," Caroline replied with a meek smile. Liz smiled back and then leaned over and kissed the golden hair on her daughter's head.

"Sleep tight, darling," she whispered tenderly, and then she turned off Caroline's lamp and left her bedroom, closing the door behind her.

Left alone in the dark, Caroline reached around to find her teddy bear and held him tightly to her chest. She started to cry, and at first she wasn't even sure why. Her tears were silent. Her bear was only a slight comfort. She cried, thinking about her parents and how nothing was ever going to be the same between their whole little family of three again. She dwelled on the thought for a few minutes, but it was late and had been a busy day before all of the drama, so Caroline was quite exhausted and before long she stopped thinking about all of these depressing things, and stopped crying.

Little Caroline was still hugging her teddy bear when she finally drifted to sleep that night.


End file.
